Wicked Little Town
by Mizzykitty
Summary: In a place of crime and corruption where the strong rule with absolute power, and those who don't conform are summarily dealt with, can one man beat the odds? A winner of the Y-con Anthology fanfiction contest 2003! YAOI. Geese/Billy/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This is based primarily on the animeverse. If some of the details differ from the gameverse, I'm sorry. Please don't yell at me about it!

* * *

Entry 1:

There are a lot of things about me that you don't know, and there are a lot of things that I never told you. Not because I didn't want you to know, but because sometimes, even I can be a gutless asswipe. But you just remember that, chickenshit or not, I don't owe you this. I don't owe anybody anything…except maybe a punch in the mouth now and then. But anyway, I'm telling you now because I want you to know everything. That way, even if I fuck things up, at least you'll know why.

So…hell if I know where to start. I guess I'll start with my father, stepfather if you want to get technical. It's as good a place as any.

Geese shot that sorry bastard over some petty gambling debts. Not many people know this; I guess it's because I never told anyone, not even Lily. Some people would think I owed her the truth, but like I said, I don't owe anybody anything. Besides, the truth is like anything else; it's what you make of it.

Afterwards, Geese took Lil and me under his wing. I don't think I'll ever know why, for sure. Even after all these years, I still don't really know what goes on inside that head.

At first, I don't think Geese knew what to do with us. He gave us rooms in his compound, and that, basically, was the last we saw of him for awhile. It was hard on Lily in the beginning. She was scared, and lonely. She actually missed her father, and her school and everything. I tried to comfort her as much as I could, but frankly, I didn't miss our old life one bit. This new place was so much better…so much _cleaner_. I mean, let's face it; we were poor, dirt poor. Our father lost every last dime he earned at the fights, and we looked it. It was insulting, the way people looked at us, like we were nothing but trash in the street. It used to make me so fucking mad…all I wanted was to wipe those looks off their faces. And I did, too, a good lot of the time. But this place…it was different from anything I'd ever known. The people were so rich they practically smelled of money, and yet they treated us like guests. No one looked at us cross-eyed because they knew we belonged to Geese Howard, the most powerful and most dangerous man in South Town. Lily hated the new place, but if you ask me, Geese did us a favor.

Eventually though, something had to be done with us. We couldn't very well sit around the place all day, right? So, Geese arranged to have us work at his factory, so we would have something to do. Lily bawled like a baby for hours - she wanted to go to school. Me? I hated school anyway, nothing but kids picking on you and teachers telling you what to do. Besides, no school in South Town would take me, not after I nearly killed this one snotty-ass kid, who just happened to be the son of some influential politician. They expelled me and banned me from every school in the city. Ha! Good bloody riddance's all I have to say.

But work, as it turns out, wasn't much fun either. I wasn't there more than three days before I got into it with one of the other guys. I was sitting around with a bunch of 'em shooting the shit on our lunch break when it happened.

"Hey Billy, what's it like living with Mr. Howard?" Frankie asked as he drank down his warm soda.

"It's great," I said. "Lil and I're livin' like kings, we are. We can do whatever we want, when we want, and nobody says a goddamn thing."

"Wow," Frankie said, his eyes wide with awe.

"Oh shut up, Billy Kane. Everybody knows what _you_ are!" Todd Clarke sneered.

I tensed, ready for a fight. He was several years older, and easily twice as big as I was. But, I'd already had words with this nasty son of a bitch the day before, and I wasn't gonna take any more of his lip, no matter how big he was.

"What're you talking about?" Frankie challenged, jumping to my defense.

"Christ, Frankie, don't you know anything? He's the same as you or me! I heard this English bastard's only living with Mr. Howard because his dad couldn't pay back his debts. Don't go actin' like you're any better than the rest of us, Billy. You're nothing but trash! Worse, foreign trash!"

Then he laughed, and I just plain exploded. I grabbed a pipe off the stack next to me, and I fuckin' beat the livin' shit outta that arrogant bastard, I did. I remember being so mad, so mad I could hardly see. The blood, warm and wet on my hands…it was so _satisfying_. I don't think there was much of Todd Clarke left when the line boss hauled me off of him. He dragged me up to the office, still covered in blood, and I knew that was the end of me. I felt bad, not because of what I'd done, or what was coming to me, but because I was afraid that Lily would get tossed back into the street. Whatever I'd done, she didn't deserve to go down with me.

The boss hauled me into the office and left, locking the door behind him. The first thing I noticed was that you could see the entire factory floor from up there. I thought, "Oh shit! Geese saw everything!"

I don't know why that bothered me, since I hadn't been planning on lying to him. Billy Kane may be a lot of things, but he's no bloody liar.

Geese stood at the large window, staring out at the factory floor with his back to me.

"Billy…" he said softly, like he'd never heard my name before or something. It gave me the downright chills, it did.

"Yeah? What?" I said. I figured, no sense in kissing ass when I'm fucked anyway.

"What am I going to do with you?" he asked. He was so calm, not at all what I'd expected. Usually, they scream, shout, curse, threaten…they don't just stand there and stare out windows.

I didn't think I was supposed to answer that, so I just sorta shrugged.

"Tell me something. Tell me why you did it."

This, too, was new. Nobody had ever asked _why_ before. In my experience, why usually didn't matter quite as much as how, or who.

I shrugged again, shifting from foot to foot and staring down at the blood drying on my hands and clothes. Hell, how do you explain that you beat the bloody shit out of someone because he called you names?

"…that bloke had no right to say what he said," I replied at last. My hands clenched in rage when I recalled that familiar look of contempt on his ugly face. "No one has the right…not now, not ever."

To my surprise, Geese just nodded.

"You remind me of someone I used to know…a very long time ago," he said at last. "You seem like a useful man to have around, Billy Kane."

I blinked in shock. I couldn't believe my ears! Useful! To think I wasn't being thrown out, punished, or worse…I didn't know what to say. I think I just sat there and gaped at him like a fish.

It was then that he turned around for the first time. His dark purple eyes stabbed me with a gaze so intense I felt like I could hardly breathe. I gasped, a drop of sweat trickling down the side of my face and neck. He stared me up and down, like you'd do a hog at the market. Suddenly, I wondered if being thrown back into the street wasn't such a bad thing after all.

"Of course," he continued in that smooth, deep voice, "you're not really a man, are you, boy?" He moved closer, so close I could smell his cologne. I flinched as one long finger came up to trace the wet trail of sweat from my brow to my neck. "But we'll fix that," he assured me. "Starting right now."

He leaned closer, and I shivered when his lips tickled my ear. One large hand stroked the back of my neck, and I gulped. I admit, I was scared shitless. I didn't know what he was doing, but somehow it felt _wrong_. I wanted to push him away and get the hell out of there. But even if I could run away, where would I go? Besides, if there's one thing that's been beat into me since I was little, it's that you don't piss off the people that really matter. And in South Town, Geese Howard is the _only_ man that matters.

"How old are you now, Billy? Fourteen, fifteen?" he whispered, his breath hot on my neck.

I wanted to just nod, because then maybe he wouldn't think I was such a child. But like I said, I'm no liar.

"Thirteen," I answered gruffly, "but I'm not a child!"

Surprised, he pulled back to stare searchingly into my eyes. I fought the urge to look away, staring right back at him. After a few moments, he smirked.

"No, I guess you're not." He backed off, but kept his hand on the back of on my neck. Guiding me towards the window, he commanded, "Come."

I let him push me to the window. On the factory floor, there was a flurry of activity over Todd Clarke. The other workers milled around in confusion as the line boss shouted, and the paramedics bustled around. I pressed my hands to the glass and moved closer to the window to get a better look at the chaotic mess.

"What's going on?" I asked, puzzled at all the commotion. I'd never seen such a fuss over one bloody fight!

Suddenly, Geese shoved me hard against the glass, his grip on my neck now iron-hard.

"Take a good long look," he said. "See that? He's dead. How does it feel to have killed a man?"

I started to shake. Sure, I'd hurt lots of kids before, and maybe almost killed a few. But almost killed is a long way from killed.

"I…I didn't mean to," I protested, my legs feeling rubbery as day-old noodles.

"Of course you did, Billy. You hated him, like you hated the rest of them. You would have killed the others, too, if you could have."

"No…" I whispered, shaking my head in disbelief. He was right, though. Even if I hadn't meant to kill Todd Clarke, I _had_ hated him, and all the rest of 'em, too.

He fumbled at my fly, unbuttoning and unzipping my pants, but I was too dazed to notice.

"It felt good, didn't it?" he continued murmuring in my ear, his voice like silken thread. "The blood, on your hands…didn't it feel so _good_?"

I nodded numbly. It was true, after all.

"Yeah," I agreed, "good…"

As if those were words of permission--hell, I don't know, maybe they were--he began to run his callused hands all over my body and under my clothes, kneading and sliding roughly over my skin. His lips assailed my neck and ears, hot mouth searching over my flesh. Quickly, he unzipped his pants, rubbing up against me and pressing me flat on the glass of the large window.

Down below, the body was hefted onto a gurney.

I had a perfect view of the paramedics hauling away Todd's dead, lifeless body as Geese fucked me for the first time. It burned so fierce, but the glass was so cold that I imagined it was sucking the heat right out of my body through my hands. His breath was harsh, so loud in my ears, but mine was dead silent. I didn't cry once…wouldn't let myself. I guess I figured I deserved it, and I was going to prove to him that I could take my licks like a man. Hell, for all my big talk, I was still just a stupid kid.

Afterwards, as he held me firmly on his lap, stroking me rhythmically, he told me,

"Don't feel bad."

I wasn't sure if he was talking about the fight, or the sex, and I didn't ask.

"You know, they hated me, too. But I showed them…I showed them all."

His hands were now driving me over the edge. I panted for him, wanted him, would have done anything for him.

"We'll show them together, Billy. You and me…we'll make them pay," he whispered hoarsely in my ear as I came explosively all over myself.

Then I nodded, and he smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

Entry 2:

True to his word, Geese started my training in bojitsu the very next day. Surprise, seems I had a natural flair for beatin' the crap outta people with sticks. Who'da guessed, eh mate?

Anyway, that was only the beginning. Geese had Lily and I removed from the factory. He assured me she would never have to work a job like that ever again. I got my daily training, and a whole lot of other training besides. He even bought me some snazzy suits, which I really liked because they made me look like professional trouble. And Lily, she got to go to school, just like she wanted. I remember when she came home the first day, her face positively shining.

"Billy!" she'd yelled, bursting into my room just as I was putting on clean clothes after one of my training sessions. "Look what I got at school today!"

"Oh yeah? What's that?" I asked, collapsing wearily onto the couch. She snatched a book out of her school bag and crawled into my lap to show me. I flinched as her knee dug into a particularly painful bruise.

She turned her big, worried green eyes on me.

"What's wrong?"

"You're getting too big to be sitting on me," I said, tickling her sides. "Look at all that fat, you must've gained a million pounds since we've been here! You're not a girl, you're a whale!"

"Oh Billy, stop it!" She giggled. "Stop it, look at this!" she demanded, waving her book in my face.

I stared at it, flipped through a few pages, and nodded.

"A book, that's great."

Detecting my insincerity, she turned the full force of her childish indignation on me.

"It's not just a book! It's Black Beauty! It's about…"

I don't actually remember what she said after that, since I pretty much tuned it all out. I picked absently at my blisters, some of which had torn open again during training that day. I ripped the skin off one with my teeth, and it started bleeding all over the place.

"Shit!" I cursed before I could stop myself.

"What happened to you?" she gasped, her eyes round with horror.

"Nothing! Just some blisters, that's all." I shrugged.

She grabbed my hands and stared at them in utter shock.

"Don't they hurt? You need some bandaids! I'll go get some," she said, turning to leave.

"No!"

I grabbed her roughly, pulling her back onto the couch.

I winced at the hurt in her eyes, eyes that looked like they would spill over with tears any minute.

"It's just that I'm not supposed to. My teacher says that with bandaids, it'll take longer to build calluses. Besides, it doesn't hurt that much."

She frowned, disbelief plain on her little face.

"That's stupid!" she declared.

"It's boy stuff, so you wouldn't understand," I said. "Besides, you do what _your_ teachers tell you, don't you?"

She considered this for a moment, and then switched tacks.

"Billy, why don't you come to school with me?" she pleaded.

I shook my head.

"You go. I like it here."

"But-"

"No."

She sighed in that totally exasperated way that only little kids seem able to manage.

"All right, but I'll read you my books, ok?"

I smiled for her benefit. I figured, the least I could do was pretend to listen.

"Sure, read me…er…," I checked the front cover of the book, "Black Beauty."

She grinned, snuggled down next to me, and read.

I tried to listen, I swear! But now that I think about it, I think I fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Entry 3:

Did you hear? She's dead. Word is, Geese shot her as she was trying to escape with that bastard Bogard. I…I cared about her, mate. We haven't done much but fight in the last year or so, but still.

She was really something, wasn't she? A girl like Lily draws trouble like food draws a starving man. Really brings out the protective instinct in an older brother, you know? She wouldn't have it, though. She hated me prying into her life…hated it when I tried to stop her from going out. I remember that day, about a year ago, the day she stopped talking to me.

"Goddammit, Billy! Leave me the hell alone!" She flailed drunkenly as I tried to help her up the stairs.

"You're drunk! Again!" I spat. "And if I don't help you up these bleedin' steps, you're going to fall down and break your neck! So stop struggling, and just let me help you!"

"No!" she shouted, fury flashing in her emerald eyes. "You stay away from me! Stay out of my life, you…you thug!"

She started crying then. Not normal girl crying, but serious bawling. I didn't know what to do…I'd never seen her like that before.

"You think you're so much better than me? You think I'm such a whore?"

"Luv, I'd never think that," I told her, hoping I sounded as sincere as I felt.

"You! How dare you think you're better than me? You're nothing but a thug, a hitman, a henchman! I can't stand it! I hate you, I hate this place, and I hate Geese Howard!" She broke down then, sobbing uncontrollably. It tore at me, it did. It wasn't that I took her drunken ranting personally; it's just that I hated seeing her so upset. "I wish he'd never brought us here. I wish we'd stayed at home, with Dad. So what if we were poor? So _what_? At least we were…at least we were free."

"Lily, luv, free to do what? Live out our miserable lives on the street? Geese gave us a chance at a better life."

"No!" she shrieked. "No! He's just using us…all of us! We're nothing but whores, selling anything, even our humanity for money."

"Sis," I soothed, trying to comfort her as best I could, "it's not like that at all. Geese-"

"Shut up! Shut UP! Doesn't this place bother you? Don't you _see_ the corruption? Don't you see how sick this place is? Or are you blind to it? Or worse, a part of it?"

"You're drunk, and you don't know what you're talking about!" My patience had finally run out. Who was she, after all these years, to tell me I was wrong? She wasn't much of a saint herself!

"I know _exactly_ what I'm talking about! You bastard, you're just like him! You're one of them, you're one of them!" she shrieked like a woman gone mad.

"You listen here!" I shouted, grabbing her arm and pulling her closer. "If I'm knee-deep in it, then you're sure as hell neck-deep, so don't go preachin' to me, _Sis_!"

She twisted out of my grasp with a violent jerk.

"You just stay the hell away from me!" she hissed before stumbling her way up the rest of the steps and disappearing into her room.

That was the last time we really spoke. I knew she was unhappy, so I suppose I'm not surprised that she tried to run away with Bogard. I wonder if it's true, though, that Geese shot her. I guess it doesn't really matter, does it? Whether he shot her, or someone else did, doesn't change anything. She's still dead, and I'm still…"one of them".

Anyway, I've decided. I left a message for you earlier at your hotel, with directions on where to pick up this journal. My answer…I'll give you my answer in person. Meet me at the King's Landing Bridge at 2:00am.

I'll be waiting.

-Billy


	4. Chapter 4

I closed the book silently and stuffed it into my jacket pocket. Walking quickly, continuously scanning my surroundings as I traveled, I left the compound.

When I returned, Geese was staring moodily out his office window at the garden beyond.

"Where have you been?" he demanded, irritation evident in the sharpness of his tone.

"I was patrolling the grounds, to make sure those Bogards hadn't shown up again," I answered. It was partially true; I had spent some of my time walking the perimeter of the compound for just that reason. I take my job as head of Geese's security staff very seriously, after all.

"Hn," he grunted.

"Do you want me to take a security team and search for them?" I offered.

"No. There's no need to waste the manpower. Bogard's sons will seek me out…and when they do, make sure your team is ready." He turned around to look at me, his eyes sweeping lustfully over me. "But first…"

I allowed myself a mental sigh as I got the drift. Loosening my tie, I shrugged out of my jacket and began to unbutton my shirt. Before long, I was stripped to the waist, my bo lying nestled in the pile of clothes on the floor. Usually, when I'm most reluctant, that's when he's most insistent. Resistance only adds fuel to the fire, so even though I wasn't exactly in the mood, I wasn't going to fight him on this. I didn't want to give him any excuses to fuck with me…not today.

Walking around his desk slowly, he came to me. He ran his finger along my jaw line and down my chest, making me shiver slightly at his touch. He grinned, his purple-gray eyes dark with desire.

"You've been with me a long time, haven't you?"

I nodded, my fingers absently tracing his jagged scar.

"I still remember what you were like as a boy. God, but you were an awkward, vicious little thing…bruises all over your skinny legs from hitting yourself with your bo." He laughed, not exactly mockingly, but not pleasantly either. His hands caressed my back and chest, fingers now and then finding fresh and old bruises alike from recent fights. "You've come a long way, haven't you, Billy?"

"I guess," I replied, carefully neutral.

"All this time, you've stood by me, loyal even when other men weren't." His hands made their way below the waist of my pants. "Why is that?"

"I dunno," I mumbled, turning away because I didn't want him to see my unease. What the bloody hell was he driving at?

Suddenly, he shoved me hard into the wall, his arousal grinding painfully into my hip. His hands gripped my wrists tightly enough to bruise, while his dark amethyst eyes, just inches from me, burned holes into my head.

"I'll tell you why," he growled softly, his deep voice full of the threat of violence. "Because you're mine. Everything you are you owe to me. I made you, Billy Kane, and I can just as easily break you."

I felt a surge of panic. How could he have known what I was planning? Even my lover didn't know; no one did! In that instant, my entire world collapsed under the weight of a single indisputable fact: I'll never leave this place alive. No matter where I go, Geese will hunt me down. Maybe not himself, but he'll send someone…someone like me. Images of the pathetic wretches I'd executed flashed before my mind's eye. I never knew what they'd done to piss him off, and I never asked. But suddenly, I saw myself the way they must have seen me, and shuddered. I felt him slide my pants off, felt him press insistently at my entrance. I yielded to him, utterly compliant. I had no choice, what else could I do?

Geese grunted as he slid into me, fucking me roughly against the wall. I threw my arms around his neck to steady myself, but I figured he'd take it as a sign of acquiescence, which was just as well, all things considering. God, how could I have defended him all these years? How could I have taken his side against my own sister? Lily was right after all. I wanted to laugh at the irony of the situation, but I stopped myself. It would obviously have been a bad idea.

When he was done, I felt him slide wetly out of me. I stared at his chest, careful not to make eye contact. My mind whirled. What, where, how, why? Questions tumbled through my mind, but I didn't like any of the answers. I heard him zip his pants, and suddenly his hand was on my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes.

"You understand, don't you?" he purred. I nodded, averting my gaze. As I suspected he would, he took this as a submissive gesture. Fucking bastard.

He laughed, a sound that set me shuddering. Since he was through with me he turned to leave. Almost to the door, he paused.

"Oh, and Billy…"

I waited, leaning slightly against the wall.

"Don't make the same mistake your sister did."

My hands clenched in futile rage to the sound of the door closing softly behind him. So it was true. He'd shot her after all. It shouldn't have mattered, but somehow, it did.

I dressed quickly, as if I could cover myself with clothing. Whatever, at least I'd be warmer. (No matter what, Geese always kept his office at a frigid 50F.) The familiar weight of my bo was comforting. I would need it before long, but in the long run, it couldn't save me from the inevitable.

Not one to spend too much time wallowing in self-pity, I simply went about my normal duties as if nothing had happened. Hell, I've been doing it for years. First, I organized two security details to sweep the grounds in one-hour intervals. Then, I met with Hopper and Ripper to discuss a strategy for the final landing. All three of us agreed that it would be helpful if we enlisted some fighters from the recent tournament in the project. I assigned Hopper the task of contacting them, while I sent Ripper to make sure the men were properly armed. It was mid afternoon by the time I returned to my quarters. All that was left was the wait.

I sighed as I changed out of my suit and into my worn overalls. They were infinitely more comfortable, especially in the humid heat of the coastal summer. _Some_ of us actually keep our rooms at a normal temperature.

I was about to grab a drink from my fridge when my walkie-talkie crackled to life.

Billy, you there? It's Hopper.

I answered it immediately.

"Yeah, I'm here."

Some of the men spotted them coming in from the cliffs. ETA 10min. What should we do?

"Get your men over there right away. I'll be there in a minute!" I barked, already halfway down the corridor and running for the stairs.

"Ripper!" I shouted into the walkie-talkie.

Yeah.

"You heard that? Get your men there _now_!"

Already on it! See you there, Ripper out.

Showtime.


	5. Chapter 5

I smoked quietly as I savored the cool night air, looking over my shoulder from time to time out of habit. Leaning over the stone balustrade of the bridge, I stared down at the dark waters of the river flowing beneath my feet. It was a beautiful night, and I felt at home in the concealing darkness. Who knows, maybe it's because I had a lot of things to hide.

Before I even heard the footsteps, I sensed his approach. Any minute now, I told myself. Exhaling slowly, I tried to calm my rapidly pounding pulse.

"Glad you could make it," I said, turning around to find him hovering inches from me. His dark brown eyes shone faintly. Even in the unflattering jaundiced light of the street lamps, he looked good. He was wearing a thin white T-shirt and a pair of faded jeans, but it didn't matter. He could have been wearing a bloody garbage sack and I would still have been drooling all over myself like a moron. Shit, I get moony like a fucking schoolgirl every time he's around. It's enough to make a man sick.

A few strands of his longish brown hair fell into his eyes, and he casually brushed them away.

"Never could sneak up on you," he said, grinning. He wrapped his arms around me in an embrace so tight I wondered if he had already guessed my answer. I reveled in the moment though, memorizing every sensation from the scent of his shampoo to the feel of his hands on my back. I wanted it to last forever; but time, like the river beneath us, was flowing faster than I could paddle. We were being swept downstream in a raging torrent of events that would eventually smash us to bits against the jagged rocks of fate.

Before my imagination could find even more depressing things to compare my situation to, I stepped back, breaking our contact.

"So," he began conversationally, pulling the journal out of his pocket. He brandished it slightly. "What's your answer?"

"I can't," I told him flatly.

I detected the almost inaudible sound of his breath hitching in his throat.

"After all that, you're telling me you're going to _stay_?" he growled in frustration, his hands gripping the stone railing so hard that I was afraid he would break it.

"It's not that simple. Geese needs me, especially now after this whole Bogard fiasco," I replied, carefully avoiding the real issues.

"How can you still defend him? Lily was right, you know! He's just using you. You don't owe him anything!" he whispered, his hands gesturing to punctuate his words.

It was eerie the way he had negated almost word for word everything Geese had said.

"You don't understand, Jack!" I hissed, trying to keep my voice down so we wouldn't attract any unwanted attention. "Even if that was true, _he_ thinks I owe him! Do you think for one bleedin' moment that he'd just let me walk away? You think I won't end up just like Lily?"

"What are you telling me? You tellin' me you're afraid of him? _You_?"

"Don't make me out to be some kind of bloody coward!" I snarled. "You don't know what he's capable of. I've been there, and I've seen it! He'll send someone, someone just like me, to track us down. We'll never be safe, no matter where we go. Do you really want to live the rest of your life looking over your fucking shoulder?"

His forehead creased in a frown.

"The world's a lot bigger than you think it is. Just because he rules South Town doesn't mean he can find you anywhere. I start the Korean circuit next week…come on, Billy, come with me. You'll like Korea; it's beautiful this time of year," he cajoled, slipping his hands beneath the straps of my overalls to stroke my back gently.

I looked away from his pleading eyes, full of a fervent love that was in stark contrast with Geese's lack thereof. I didn't want to hurt him, but it didn't seem like I had much of a choice.

"It's not about that anyway. I just don't want to go."

I could feel the taut muscles under his skin bunching and flexing as he grabbed me roughly.

"You gonna fuckin' lie to me, Billy Kane?" he spat, anger shattering his usual equanimity.

His reaction was surprising, to say the least. Jack never cursed. In fact, he didn't act much like any other fighter I'd ever met. Most guys were loud, cocky, and arrogant. A lot of them were stupid, brash, or just plain mean. But Jack was none of those things; he was always quiet, his movements reserved and deliberate. His touch was warm and firm, not exactly gentle, but not like Geese, either. In Jack's dark eyes you could see a quick wit and sardonic humor, as if he thought everything was funny. No, I'd never seen Jack angry. Even inside the ring, his composure never slipped. So to see him so pissed off was disturbing, to say the least.

I frowned.

"What difference is the truth going to make? You're just going to want to fight it, and you can't fuckin' fight this, al'right? You're just going to have to accept that this is the way it is."

"I'm not going to just accept anything! There has to be something we can do." he stated with a certainty that I found not only naïve but foolish as well.

"Don't you get it yet? There doesn't 'have to be' anything." My exasperation was evident as I leaned on the bridge railing, staring out at the dark waters of the rushing river. As hard as I thought this was going to be, it was, in reality, a thousand times harder. Why couldn't he just give it up? I couldn't really be worth all this trouble.

Jack sighed.

"Dammit, Billy, don't you ever wonder what it would have been like if you'd run away that day?"

I snorted.

"Of course." Only every fucking day since it happened. Maybe not consciously, but the thought was always there, in the back of my mind. Why hadn't I done anything? Why'd I just sit there and take it? And the answers would come - because I was too stupid, too weak, too afraid - and they were worse than the questions.

"Well, now's your chance. You're not a little kid anymore, Billy. You're not powerless."

The problem was, it still felt like I was.

He was about to speak again when he fell silent at the approach of footsteps. We tried to act casual, breaking out cigarettes and smoking them as slowly as possible. The bloke was almost past us when he paused, turning around to stare at us in the dim lighting.

"What you starin' at, mate?" I asked, allowing a hard edge of violence to creep into my voice that usually scares most people off.

"You…" the stranger rasped.

I blinked, my mind searching quickly to put a name to that familiar voice. My hand reached reflexively for my weapon, my feet already sliding into an offensive stance. Beside me, I felt Jack tense.

The stranger suddenly stepped into the light, and my eye caught the long sweep of yellow hair in the same instant he charged.

"I'll kill you!" Bogard screamed as he leapt at me.

I had just enough time to dodge as the force of the blow smashed the stone balustrade behind me. Even as I rolled he was coming at me again, his fists flying in a steady stream of powerful attacks. Already having been defeated by his younger brother earlier in the day, I was in no condition to fight him. The most I could do was dodge his flurry of kicks and punches, and even then I wasn't faring too well.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jack move, his lithe form dancing lightening-quick just at the edge of my field of vision.

"Jack, NO!" I shouted, but too late. Terry's power wave flung him into the air, landing him several feet away.

Bogard came at me again, rage fueling his every move. I guess I couldn't blame him, but I wasn't about to lie down and just take it.

"Stop! Wait!" My mind whirled…what could I say to make him stop? I suddenly seized on something.

"Lily! I loved her too, Bogard!" I shouted, even as a glancing blow knocked me to the ground.

He paused then, standing over me with a murderous gleam in his eye.

"What did you say?" he snarled.

"Lily…I loved her too, mate. She was right…about Geese, about everything. I just wished I'd figured that out before it was too late. But at least she's free now…at least she finally got the escape she wanted." I talked rapidly, words rushing out of me so fast I barely had time to think about what I was saying. Deep down I knew that if he chose to kill me, there was little to nothing that I could do about it. Keeping him talking was the only defense I had.

"What do you know about how she felt?" he gritted, eyes glittering with grief, hatred, vengeance.

"A damn sight more than you do! Who do you think bleedin' raised her, mate? Don't you think I miss her too?"

"You're nothing but a cold-hearted son of a bitch. If you cared about her so much, how could you let her die?"

"I wasn't there…you were. How could _/you/_ let her die?" I spat.

He glowered at me speechlessly.

"You got your revenge, Bogard. What the hell do you want from me?" I tried to stand, but he pressed one sneakered foot to my chest.

"You stay right there," he growled. "For what you did to Master Tung…I want you dead, that's what I want!"

"Wait." Jack said softly. I hadn't even noticed him, but he was now standing next to me, ready to fend off the blond fighter if he made any more sudden moves in my direction.

Terry squinted in the gloom.

"I know you. You're Jack Lee, the former Taekwondo champion, and winner of the European title two years in a row. I saw you fight at the tournament."

Jack chuckled.

"Gee, I didn't think the great Terry Bogard followed my career."

"I could hardly fail to notice," Bogard replied amiably.

I coughed, afraid they'd forgotten about me in light of their mutual ego stroking. Fighters!

Bogard's eyes narrowed at me, and he ground his heel into my chest. I coughed for real this time, and tasted the familiar tang of bloody phlegm. Shit.

"What're you doing hanging around with this piece of trash?" He stomped on me again, I assume just for spite.

I saw Jack's jaw clench, but he restrained himself. Reaching down slowly, his eyes never leaving Bogard's face, he took my hand. Getting the hint, Terry removed his foot, and Jack promptly hauled me to my feet. I coughed and spat over the side of the bridge, then wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

Jack stared hard at Terry, his eyes were sharp black points that knifed into the blond fighter.

"Billy doesn't work for Geese anymore. He's coming with me, to Korea."

My mouth opened and closed, but no protests could escape. That little shit!

Bogard eyed me sharply.

"Is that true?"

I hesitated.

"Yeah," I mumbled finally. Hell, what else could I say?

The American fighter nodded and crossed his arms.

"So…you were telling the truth. But after what happened to Lily, I doubt Geese'll let you go that easily."

I shrugged.

"What's it to you?"

"Nothing."

"So?"

"So what?"

Jack coughed.

"I hate to interrupt your little pissing contest, but I have an idea that just might work. That is, if Terry will agree to it."

Bogard frowned.

"That depends."

Jack nodded, then held his hand out to me, palm up.

"Give me your bo."

I shook my head, taking a step back away from him.

"Why?"

"You'll see," he answered enigmatically.

He stepped closer to me, and I tensed. I didn't want to fight him, but I'd die before I let anyone take my weapon.

He sighed, placing his hand on mine, which was still gripping the bo like a bloody lifeline.

"Please, Billy. Trust me?"

Goddammit, how could he ask me that? He knows I can't just do it. After so many years of bullshit, how could I? But then I looked up at him, and I saw that bloody look in his eyes, that one that makes me want to do anything for him. Fuck.

Slowly, reluctantly, I handed it to him.

Unexpectedly, I felt an immeasurable loss as I parted with it, as if a piece of me was being cut away. It was, of course, just a stupid stick, nothing but a little wood and varnish. But still.

Jack, though shorter than Terry by several inches, stared straight and hard into the blond man's eyes.

"I'm asking you to help us. Please, give us the chance that Lily never had."

Terry frowned at Jack, then glowered hatefully at me. He seemed to be thinking awfully hard. I wondered if maybe his head would explode. Finally, he responded.

"All right. What do you want me to do?"

Jack grinned, his smile striking me to the core, warming me from the inside out. Damn, when did I become such a sappy bitch?

"Deliver this to Geese's men," he said, handing my precious bo over to the American.

His smile must have affected Terry too, because he nodded, understanding instantly what he was being asked to do.

"Thank you," Jack said, bowing slightly before turning around and walking a few feet off, to give us some privacy.

I fidgeted uncomfortably, shoving my hands into my pockets. What was I supposed to say to him? I still hated him with a burning intensity fueled by years of Geese's brainwashing. Just because you take a splinter out, doesn't mean the pain disappears instantly. But like it or not, he was saving my life. I felt a surge of resentment…I didn't want to owe this man, the way I owed Geese. The thought of being indebted, no, enslaved to yet another person set my teeth on edge. Ironically, in my experience, freedom most often comes with the price of slavery.

As if sensing my thoughts, he spoke first.

"You took care of Lily, loved her and raised her when no one else would. She must have gotten her capacity for love and compassion from someone, and it certainly wasn't Geese. So…" He stuck his hand out to me. "Let's just call it even."

I looked up into his eyes and saw the distinct absence of that contempt that I was used to seeing on people's faces…people who always thought they were better than me. For a second, I simply didn't know what to do. It was so shocking only because it was so unexpected. I reached out and grabbed his hand, shaking it firmly.

"Even," I repeated.

He nodded.

"Ok!" he said, turning around and walking back the way he had come. Just like that, I was free.

I turned around to find Jack waiting for me.

He reached for me, but I hesitated.

"You sure you really want to do this?"

Jack rolled his eyes.

"Would I be standing here if I didn't?"

"Well mayb-"

He yanked me into a long kiss…one that fuckin' melted the rubber on my shoes. Pressed against him, I felt a hard lump in his jeans. Fishing around in his pants, I pulled my journal out of his pocket.

"What should we do with this?" I asked, leafing through it to find pages upon pages of my shameful chicken scratching.

He took it from me and held it contemplatively for a moment before pitching it over the side of the bridge.

"You won't need it where we're going."

I still wasn't convinced; people like me don't get happily-ever-afters. But, I guess if he was willing to try, then I was too. I suddenly remembered something I had written, what seemed like ages ago. I guess if the truth is what you make of it, then so is the future.


End file.
